Leah Remini Has Left The Church Of Scientology

While Scientology’s celebrity ranks remain strong, still boasting such actors and actresses as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Giovanni Ribisi, Kirstie Alley and Kelly Preston, among others, it appears that the movement founded by L. Ron Hubbard has lost one of its more prominent members in King of Queens star Leah Remini. According to the New York Post, the 43-year old actress has decided to cut ties with the controversial church after she had allegedly been punished for disagreeing with the church of Scientology’s leader, David Miscavige.

In recent years, Miscavige has become the focus of allegations of abuse from former Scientology members – this story about Sea Org is an interesting read – but if there is any validity to the Post’s sources about Remini’s motives, this could be really bad news for Miscavige.

The source tells us Remini is quitting because of policies that don’t allow parishioners to question Miscavige’s management or the reported abuse of members of its Sea Org religious order — and for forcing followers to “disconnect” from family members branded as “suppressive persons” if they choose to leave the church.

“It all began when Leah questioned the validity of excommunication of people,” a source said of her decision. “She is stepping back from a regime she thinks is corrupt. She thinks no religion should tear apart a family or abuse someone under the umbrella of ‘religion.’ ”

Former Sea Org member Mike Rinder blogged this week that at Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ 2006 wedding, Remini innocently asked where Miscavige’s wife, Shelly, was. Former Scientology Celebrity Centre head Tommy Davis scolded her, “You don’t have the [bleeping] rank to ask about Shelly.” Mrs. Miscavige reportedly hasn’t been seen in public since 2007.

As a result, Remini “was put through interrogations and blacklisted within the church that she donated millions to and that her family has spent their lives in. She was put through ‘thought modification’ for five years,” our source said.

The Post’s source also claims that Remini’s “friends” within the church had been writing internal reports about her recently, and those led to investigations on her family. It isn’t known if Remini plans to go public with any dirt on Miscavige or Scientology as a whole, but the least she could do is explain to me why half the cast of That 70s Show joined the church. Did Danny Masterson offer to DJ church parties for free? Did they make Laura Prepon die her hair? And was Wilmer Valderrama turned away? These are things I’d like to know.

I may die laughing if one of these days a bunch of disgruntled ex-Scientologists decide to create their own offshoot Scientology-based church. Something like the Reformed Church of Scientology or the New Church of Scientology. Maybe they come up with slightly different aliens besides the Thetans and there is a holy war between the fake aliens of Scientology and the fake aliens of the new church.

The possibilities are endless. Maybe the new Church of Scientology could merge with the Mormons. Or the Rastafarians. Or both!

I wish Ribisi (though he broke Cat Powers heart) and Beck would get out of that nut house. I like how she just quit Scientology like she’s moving on to the next religion. Yeah, this Scientology was nice, but look at that shiny Jesus, I think I’ll do that next. Be nice and don’t be a douche is my religion. I should apply for tax exempt status.

I was more shocked that Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee were sucked into that bullshit – well, Suplee I can see, he doesn’t seem like the sharpest of knives, but Lee seems to have a solid head on his shoulders.

I’ve always thought it a little strange that in the face of a scientific revolution, where the mysteries of the universe are rapidly being unraveled, that people take fantastical stories from thousands of years ago as the truth of it all. At the same time, anyone claiming to talk directly to god in the modern age is quickly discounted as a nutter. It boggles my mind. If we know they’re nutters or charlatans now, why trust the nutters and charlatans from a time when they didn’t know any better? To each their own though.

The main reason is that Scientology can be examined closely, the “traditional” religions are shrouded by hundreds of years of belief. That is unfair, but that’s how it goes.

And Scientology is more fucked up in some ways. You have to pay, tens of thousands of dollars to progress in that religion. There are monetary abuses in the other religions, but the basic philosophies of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, stress donations for the poor. I’ve never been to a church where giving money was required for spiritual growth or salvation. Scientology is founded on paying through the nose.

If you really wanna know about how f’ed up the Church of Scientology is, read Going Clear by Lawrence Wright. It’s not even so much the bizarreness of the religious beliefs (because as others above have noted, all religious beliefs are pretty bizarre), but more the insanely oppressive conditions they inflict upon their members, which is apparently what drove Remini from the Church. Pretty fascinating book.

For what I recall from reading “Inside Scientology” ([www.amazon.com]), there was a separate arm of Scientology created by disaffected Dianetics technologists (because that is what it was originally – a psychological technology) that adhered to the word of the original Dianetics without the money-disappearing con game that it is currently known for. Ron and his lawyers crushed them like a bug for stepping on his religion’s toes and wallet.

“This so called “new religion” is nothing but a pack of weird rituals and chants designed to take away the money of fools. Let us say the Lord’s prayer 40 times, but first let’s pass the collection plate!”

Scientology, like yoga, is a fraud. If yoga can arrest aging, why the life expectancy of Indians is shorter than Americans? If yoga can give mental peace and happiness, why millions of Indians are wallowing in misery, depression, and anxiety? Suicide rate is very high in India. So scientology also thrives on empty promises.